Eco-Bricks
What is an Eco-brick?
An eco-brick is a plastic bottle packed with shredded, single-use, non-recyclable plastics, compressed to a required density to create a reusable building block. They are a sustainable way to reusenon-biodegradable plastic waste as they are regarded as a long-lasting and durable material.
Eco-bricks = a low energy solution to keeping plastic out of the ecosystem!
What is the purpose of an eco-brick?
Making an eco-brick can be a tedious and time-consuming project (but great to do whilst watching TV!) and the purpose of it is to make you responsible for your own plastic waste and encourage you to reduce your own consumption.
The aim is to help you cut down on what you’re buying and ultimately produce less waste whilst creating something beneficial for yourself or the community!
What goes into the eco-brick?
The most important thing about an eco-brick is that the contents are CLEAN and DRY before they get stuffed. The reason for this is to prevent any bacteria or mould forming inside, which will undo all your hard work as they will not be validated!
You can put inside an eco-brick:
Potato chip, biscuit, cake packets etc.
Stretchy plastic e.g., carrier bags, bread bags, clingfilm etc.
Pasta/rice packets
Packaging – bubble wrap/plastic envelopes
Styrofoam/polystyrene
Hard plastic – meat trays, flowerpots etc (however, hard plastics will need to be cut up into much smaller pieces than soft plastic to allow you to reach the weight requirements)
What can I make with an eco-brick?
The most common personal projects are footstools! They can be as small or as large as you want, you can be creative with the bottle bottom colours to make a cool pattern or cover them in some fabric to make a decorative piece around the house!
There are other smaller projects you can make, like doorstops for example! I am personally taking inspiration from this one found on Pinterest:
Ok, so how do I make one?
It is very simple! The picture below shows you how in 5 simple steps. The key is to just keep stuffing until you can’t any more! With time and patience, your brick will come to life.
Stand-Out Festive Decor: Build a Big DIY Nutcracker
Whip up a larger-than-life nutcracker and have it standing guard to greet guests this Christmas. This is an ideal opportunity to repurpose last year’s baubles, leftover Resene paint testpots and leftover materials from previous projects. You could use an old cardboard box for the body and cover it in fabric scraps. Find out how to make your own nutcracker with these easy step by step instructions.
Vandalism is costing ratepayers - what can be done to better protect our public spaces?
Vandals have repeatedly damaged public amenities across the Waikato District, leaving ratepayers to pick up the bill. So far in 2025, the cost has climbed to nearly $123,000, reports the Waikato Times.
The council is urging residents to report vandalism as soon as possible.
If you witness vandalism in progress, please contact the police immediately.
We want to know: Do you have ideas on how we can better protect our public spaces?
Get painting and wallpapering - Sale now on at Resene ColorShops!
For a limited time only save the GST value on Resene premium paints, wood stains, wallpaper and decorating accessories at Resene ColorShops.
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